The availability of Shubman Gill and T Natarajan will certainly be a massive boost, considering their ability to emerge as game-changers.
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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Shubman Gill is on his way to full recovery and expected to be fit for the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. This information is according to a report by Cricbuzz. It further adds that the young opener has been undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, and is likely to be released in time for the IPL. This update has been provided by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer T Natarajan is also expected to be in a position to travel with the franchise. “We’ve got the go-ahead and he will be travelling with us to Dubai on August 31,” an SRH official told Cricbuzz.
The availability of T Natarajan is a significant boost, with fans handed an opportunity to witness quality left-arm pacers Natarajan and Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Chetan Sakariya battling it out. Sakariya’s meteoric rise in the past six months is a story for the ages, putting Gujarat’s Bhavnagar on the map when it comes to cricket. The left-arm pacer went on to impress everyone with his bowling in the first phase of IPL 2021, picking up 7 wickets in as many matches.
“When I was picked up by Rajasthan Royals, the only thing running in my mind was that they have shown so much faith in me, I wanted to make sure that I was performing well and helping the team win. I think I did a decent job whenever I was given the responsibility,” said Sakariya while interacting from his home.
“Then to make it to the Indian team, it has been a dream come true. When I first heard of it, there were a lot of thoughts in my head, but I was unable to believe it. I pinched myself because I was wondering if it was even true. I didn’t think of it in a way that I would get to play or not, just being a part of that dressing room was a huge moment for me,” he added.
The 23-year-old was accompanied by RR captain Sanju Samson during their recent tour of Sri Lanka. Sakariya shared an anecdote from their conversation.
“When we were at RR earlier this year and I had played a few matches, we were in the nets talking about how I could get my pace up, but Sanju bhai called me and said, ‘You’re doing well and are unique because you have the swing, so you should try to bowl fast but make sure that it doesn’t affect your ability to swing the ball.”
“Remember my words when I say that you’ll play for India very soon.’ So, as soon as I got selected for India and we met in Sri Lanka, he made me remember that day and asked me to keep focusing on the right things and wished me well. So that was really nice of him.”
The availability of Gill is further a massive boost considering the excellent gameplay he is capable of with superb consistency.
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